


The metal bottle

by xletsreadx



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: I repeat it takes place during World War II, More serious than what I usually throw at you, World War II, it is 3 am
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-16
Updated: 2017-11-16
Packaged: 2019-02-03 03:56:08
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,496
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12740535
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xletsreadx/pseuds/xletsreadx
Summary: Dan's family is jewish. Phil is a german soldier who secretly tries to help people. However, he can't help everyone.





	The metal bottle

It was already past midnight when Dan woke up to a lot of noise coming from downstairs. He heard the door bang open and loud voices. Did they find them? Was it the end? He jumped up but didn't have much time to think or react proberly. His mum rushed into his room and grapped him by the hand. "Hide inside there and don't make a noise no matter what you see or hear! I'm dead serious, Daniel! Be quiet!" She wispered and pushed him into the small cupboard behind the door. "Mum..." He studdered, looking at her with confusion and fear in his big brown eyes. "I love you, honey." His mother said with a sad smile and closed the door. Dan heard her ajusting the pillows and bedsheets before she left the room and ran downstairs.  
"Mr. and Ms.Howell... I knew that you jews have fucked up names but yours is even weirder than the ones I've heard so far. Advocate and houswife. Married since 1922..." The man in the dark green uniform paused and a heavy silence spread in the room before he looked up from his papers with an evil grin. He knew. Ms.Howell helt tight to her husband's arm, trying not show any emotions. "...one son. Daniel James Howell. Where is he? There is no point in hiding. Get him out." The man spat looking at Mr.Howell whose voice was weak and barely a whisper when he answered. "He is not here. He is visiting his grandparents." He said without even blinking. "Liars! You dirty jews are all liars!" The man in uniform yelled and kicked Mr.Howell in the stomach. Dan's father screamed in pain and sank to the ground. His wife started crying and put her arms around her husband while repeating "We are not lying. We are not lying." as if it was a spell that would make the three men in uniforms go away. The man with the papers just laughed and turned to his two subordinates. "Walter, get this trash in the car." He motioned at Mr. and Ms.Howell. "And you, Phil, go look for the child. It is probably hiding somewhere in the house." Both nodded and while the blonde haired man violently grapped Ms.Howell and pushed her to the door, follwed by her husband, the dark haired man went upstairs.  
Dan had heard his father's screams. Tears were running down his face as he held back the sobs trying to escape his lips. This couldn't be happening. It was a nightmare. Suddenly his thoughts stopped and his mind went blank. There were footsteps coming closer to his room. The sound of heavy boots on the wooden floor. Dan closed his eyes and started to pray. The door swung open and someone entered the room. Cupboards were thrown open, their doors clashing against the wall, the long curtains were ripped to pieces and glass sheddered on the floor. The noise calmed down after some time. Silence. Dan helt his breath. Footsteps. Louder. Closer. Light. Dan was blinded for a moment, his eyes still used to the darkness. The small cupboard door had been ripped out of its angles and there was a tall dark haired man in a green uniform towering over him. They got him. This was the end. Dan looked up into the man's eyes. Perfect blue aryan eyes. But somehow they missed something. Those eyes weren't full of hate and evil. The showed no emotion just like the rest of the man's well proportioned face. Dan's back pressed against the wall his arms wrapped around his legs. What was the man waiting for? Why didn't he forcefully drag him out? What happened next passed before Dan's eyes in slow motion and brand itself into his memory. The man detached a metal bottle from his belt, placed it next to Dan and whispered "Survive!" before he turned to the door and left. Dan didn't move. He couldn't comprehend what just happened. Again he heard doors being opened, things breaking on the floor and unfamilar voices talking to each other. But after some time the noises disappeared. A car was started at the opposite side of the street. The headlights threw shadows on the ceiling but soon they disappeared just like the noises. Silence and darkness embraced Dan.

"What do you have to say to your defence, Mr.Lester? Please don't steal our time by presenting us the same lies all of your codefendants have repeated these last few hours." Annoyance and disgust showed in the juge's face who had the honorable duty to pronounce suitable judgements for twenty war crime suspects. Phil stood up and straightened his posture. "I don't have anything like that in mind, Sir. I plead guilty to all charges. I regret my actions and I want to apologize to all the victims and their families. I am aware that this won't change neither what I did nor their feelings towards me. I don't expect a mitigation of sentence and I'm ready to except the death sentence." All eyes were on Phil when he sat down again. Even the judge couldn't hide his surprise as he witnessed the first confession made by a former SS officer. "I'm glad at least one of you has the balls to admit what we all already know. If that is all, I will announce the verdict after a short break." People started to move from there seats when somebody rose to speak. "Excuse me, Sir. I'd like to speak in Mr.Lesters defence." Everbody turned around to the young brown haired man standing in the last row. "Is my mind playing tricks on me or is this really young Daniel Howell who asks to defend a Nazi? Your dear mother, may she rest in peace, was one of his victims. So was your father, who sat in this chair before me. You may come up to the front to so but why the hell would you want to?" The judge asked taken aback. Dan just nodded and made his way up to the front. He stopped at the row where the defendants were seated. Phil couldn't believe his eyes. This boy. He had seen him before. He remembered those eyes as the only positive thing in a horrible night. "Why..." He wispered. A small smile appeared on Dan's lips. He reach into his bag and pulled out an old metal bottle which he placed right in front of Phil. "You told me to survive. That's what I did." Then he went up to the front. All the attention was on Dan when he started to speak with confidence in his voice. "Your honour, it is true that Mr.Lester was part of the group who broke into our house that night and abducted my parents to give them a one way ticket to Auschwitz. It is cleary difficult to understand why I would want to defend him. But I will try my best to explain how I ended up taking this decision. I have thought a lot about that night. I have thought a lot about the choice Mr.Lester made that night. And I have thought a lot about other choices he might have had to make. This lead of course to the list of names you have presented, the list with my parents' names on it. Those people in whose murders he was involved. But there is another list. A list with my name on it. A list of people who wouldn't be alive today if it was any other officer who searched their rooms when they were hiding in cupboards and under beds. The people Mr. Lester has saved." During Dan's speech a young woman stood up. Then a young man at the other side of the room. Than another one and another one. When Dan finished there were 31 people standing.

"Grandpaaaaa I have a question." "What is it, sweetheart?" The old man slowely got up from his armchair and joined the little blonde girl. He ruffled her hair as he stood beside her. "Why do you have an old rusty metal bottle in your showcase? I mean like everything else in there is expensive and pretty like the chinaware." The old man smiled. "For me, this bottle is more valuable than anything else I own. It is not the material that makes it irreplaceable, it is the memories. Your granddad gave me this bottle when we met for the first time. I returned it to him when we met for the second time. But all this was long ago. Long before we moved into this house. Long before we welcomed your mother in our family. Even longer before she met your dad. One day, when you're older, I'll tell you the story about this bottle but for now... what do you think about some marshmallows? I'm certain you're granddad hasn't found them this time."


End file.
